Towards the interpretation of Uranus's eccentric magnetic field

Abstract

Coriolis forces stimulate dynamo action in a rapidly-rotating fluid by promoting complexities in the pattern of fluid motions, notably departures from symmetry about the axis of rotation. This pattern and its time variations determine the instantaneous form and temporal behaviour of the magnetic field so produced. Instantaneous magnetic fields will usually exhibit in their broad-scale features approximate alignment with the rotation axis. This is borne out by observations of the magnetic fields of the Earth, Jupiter and Saturn, and it is likely on general grounds that Neptune will be found to have an aligned magnetic field. But, as is shown by laboratory and theoretical studies of thermal convection in rapidly-rotating fluids, for some ranges of rotation speed, rate of heating, etc. certain patterns can occur which in electrically-conducting fluids would produce magnetic fields exhibiting departures from alignment with the rotation axis, which instantaneously could be quite pronounced but would average out to very small values over sufficiently long periods of time. These findings indicate obvious strategies for theoretical studies towards the interpretation of Uranus's eccentric magnetic field (which need not invoke departures from axial symmetry in the thermal, mechanical or electrical boundary conditions of the dynamo region within the planet) and for further observational studies.